Written Answers Friday 21 December 2007

Scottish Executive

Environment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which of its projects, plans and programmes will not be subjected to a strategic environmental assessment.

Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7318 on 19 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Fisheries

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many permits it has issued in each of the last five years to allow the finning of sharks in Scottish waters.

Richard Lochhead: Issue of permits to allow the removal of shark fins on board vessels in Community waters and for all Community vessels around the world, commenced in 2004.

  Since then permits have been issued, as follows, to Scottish registered fishing vessels which are part of the Anglo-Spanish fleet:

  2004: 7

  2005: 8

  2006: 7

  2007: 7.

Flood Prevention

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costings and timescales are for each flood prevention scheme that councils have indicated that they wish to pursue which is not yet under construction or ready for construction.

Michael Russell: Local authorities provided the following information on a number of possible flood prevention schemes that they report were under consideration; there is no guarantee that any of these schemes will be pursued. The only firm information we have is on those schemes that were already under development and which have been taken into consideration in the funding included in the block grant to local authorities. Following the spending review, funding is a matter for the authorities concerned.

  

Council
FP Scheme
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
Later Years
Total£000


Aberdeenshire
Tarland
200
2,000
2,000
700
5,000


Aberdeenshire
Fettercairn
150
0
0
0
300


Angus
Brechin, River St
3,320
2,860
100
0
7,700


Angus
Brothock Burn, Abroath
300
600
600
0
1,500


Angus
Gairie Burn, Kirriemuir
0
110
390
0
500


Angus
Barry Burn, Carnoustie
0
0
0
1,500
1,500


Argyll and Bute
Milton Burn, Dunoon
1,700
300
0
0
2,000


Argyll and Bute
Campbeltown
800
200
0
0
1,000


Argyll and Bute
Midge Lane, Strone
0
500
200
0
700


Argyll and Bute
Antrim View, Port Ellen, Islay
0
300
200
0
500


Borders
Selkirk
200
7,000
7,900
0
15,200


Borders
Galashiels
30
200
80
0
350


Borders
Jedburgh
80
100
330
900
1,500


Dumfries and Galloway
Stranraer
50
650
650
0
1,400


Dumfries and Galloway
Moffat
0
0
400
400
800


Dundee City
Central Waterfront
0
45
30
2,675
2,750


Dundee City
Riverside Avenue
0
0
0
5,000
5,000


Dundee City
Dundee Airport
0
0
0
5,000
5,000


Dundee City
Dighty Water
0
0
50
300
350


Dundee City
Fithie Burn
0
0
25
225
250


Falkirk
Chapel Burn (RSNH)
0
950
800
0
1,750


Falkirk
Grangemouth
0
0
2,000
0
2,000


Fife
Kinness Burn, St Andrews
50
70
1,220
0
1,400


Highland
Thurso
5
25
25
1,015
1,100


Highland
River Ness
100
0
0
2,800
3,000


Highland
Dell Burn, Inverness
30
0
0
1,140
1,200


Highland
Mill Burn, Inverness
30
0
0
430
480


Highland
Culloden
5
15
25
30
200


Highland
Fort William and Caol
100
0
0
7,300
7,500


Highland
Drumnadroichit
20
0
0
690
760


Highland
Acharacle
5
5
5
5
25


Moray
Forres (R Findhorn/Pilmuir)
10,000
25,000
6,000
0
41,000


North Ayrshire
Kilbirnie, Glengarnock and Dalry
2,000
9,000
0
0
11,000


North Ayrshire
Kilwinning
0
0
5,000
0
5,000


North Ayrshire
Millport
0
0
0
1,100
1,100


North Ayrshire
Adrossan, South Bay
0
0
0
500
500


South Lanarkshire
Strathaven Rd, Hamilton
0
850
1,390
0
2,240


South Lanarkshire
Lady Watson Gardens, Hamilton
0
0
500
1,000
1,500


West Dunbartonshire
Gruggies Burn
0
313
5,000
6,688
12,000


West Dunbartonshire
River Leven
0
0
250
17,750
18,000


 
Total
19,175
51,593
35,670
56,148
165,055

Less Favoured Areas

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to initiate a full review of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme; what the remit for the review will be, and when it expects the review to be completed and its results announced.

Richard Lochhead: The EU designation proposals for less favoured area (LFA) are due to be published in 2008, with implementation in 2010. Once these are known, proposals for a new Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) will be developed and will be subject to a full consultation exercise. Both remit and timing of a new LFASS are dependent on the publication and content of the EU proposals.

Meat Industry

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the support provided to Quality Meat Scotland through Scottish Enterprise in each of the last three financial years has been used for.

Richard Lochhead: The following provides a detailed breakdown of the financial support provided by Scottish Enterprise to Quality Meat Scotland in each of the last three financial years.

  

Year
Purpose
Contribution


2005-06
Contribution to cost of communications campaign for the Scottish red meat industry - through newspaper supplements published in The Herald and Sunday Herald newspapers.
£9,652


Contribution to cost of running a series of consumer research focus groups to enable detailed understanding of consumer perception and preferences for Scotch red meat. Particular focus on Scotch lamb in preparation for initial meetings between QMS and Morrisons supermarket representatives.
£2,945


Contribution to cost of research, design, production and promotion of a CD-Rom ("The Cutting Edge") setting out value-added processing techniques to produce healthier, lean cuts of meat for premium markets.
£16,400


Contribution to cost of audit of Somerfield stores in Scotland to assess positioning of the "Scotch" brand.
£1,150


Contribution to travel and accommodation for industry learning journey to France, organised jointly by Scottish Development International and Quality Meat Scotland.
£1,092


Contribution to cost of design and production of training materials for in-store butcher staff at Tesco stores.
£2,050


Contribution to cost of European representative to support re-entry of red meat into the Benelux markets.
£12,500


2006-07
Contribution to cost of Quality Meat Scotland participation in promotional event by Tesco "Taste the Best of Scotland Tour".
£9,614


Contribution to cost of European representative to support re-entry of red meat into the Benelux markets.
£43,500


Contribution to cost of production of a DVD showcasing Scottish red meat industry - shown on Italian TV station, "Mela Verde".
£11,750


2007-08 (year to date)
Contribution to cost of European representative to support re-entry of red meat into the Benelux markets.
£18,000


Contribution to research project and PR campaign to identify and promote the intrinsic health benefits of lean red meat.
£5,812

Meat Industry

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding it has provided through Scottish Enterprise to Quality Meat Scotland in each of the last three years has been used for purposes which are compatible with the nutritional guidelines produced by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.

Richard Lochhead: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is an advisory committee of independent experts that provides advice to the Food Standards Agency, NHS, government agencies and departments. Its remit includes matters concerning nutrient content of individual foods. In relation to red meat, Quality Meat Scotland follows the guidance of the Food Standards Agency as the independent government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in relation to food.

Meat Industry

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding it has provided through Scottish Enterprise to Quality Meat Scotland in each of the last three years has been used for purposes which are compatible with the nutritional guidelines provided by the Food Standards Agency.

Richard Lochhead: Quality Meat Scotland’s activities are compatible with the guidelines provided by the Food Standards Agency.

Meat Industry

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding it has provided through Scottish Enterprise to Quality Meat Scotland in each of the last three years has been used for purposes which are compatible with the nutritional guidelines set out in Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer , published by the World Cancer Research Fund.

Richard Lochhead: The World Cancer Research Fund, Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Food Standards Agency all give slightly different advice in relation to meat. Quality Meat Scotland follows the guidance of the Food Standards Agency as the independent government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public’s health and consumer interests in relation to food.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it will put in place to assist farmers to meet their obligations in respect of the increased closed period in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Action Programme.

Richard Lochhead: The proposed Scottish Rural Development Programme will have several options to help protect the water environment. One option includes support for the capital cost of manure or slurry storage, which is expected to be the largest cost for farmers on slurry-based systems in the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). No changes are proposed to the closed periods for manufactured fertilisers, and no closed periods are planned for farmyard manure.

  The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Agricultural College to provide guidance and training in response to requests from farmers, and this may involve the NVZ rules designed to improve the efficiency of the use of manure and slurry. This will be supplemented by guidance from the Scottish Government to all farmers within the NVZ areas. In addition, I am convening a Nitrates Directive Implementation Group to consider how best we can work with the industry in making the transition to compliance with the new standards.

Waste Management

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive where the £26 million which has been reallocated in 2008-09 from waste services will be spent.

Richard Lochhead: In 2007-08, the Strategic Waste Fund baseline was over £132 million. However, this level of resources will not be spent on waste and so resources in 2007-08 have been allocated to other spending priorities and pressures. Resources for 2008-09 have also been allocated to meet other spending priorities and pressures. For 2008 onwards, we have allocated over £154 million over three years in our new zero waste fund. This fund will be used to support work on the diversion of waste from landfill, including work on developing markets for recycled products, waste prevention, community recycling and waste education and awareness.

Waste Management

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to meet the EU targets on diversion of domestic waste from landfill.

Richard Lochhead: The Landfill Allowance Scheme places limits on the amounts of biodegradable municipal waste which can be sent to landfill. Authorities which exceed these limits can be subject to penalties. In addition, Indicator 39 in the National Performance Framework, at Annex A in the concordat between the Scottish Government and local government, relates to reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill in 2010, in line with the first EU Landfill Directive target. The Scottish Government is currently discussing with local authorities what should be included in the single outcome agreements.

  We will support work by local authorities to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill through our zero waste fund. The rising cost of landfill also provides a further incentive to divert waste from landfill.

Waste Management

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what money has been allocated from the Strategic Waste Fund in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority and scheme.

Richard Lochhead: Details of individual recycling schemes by local authority are available at Waste Aware Scotland’s website at www.sort-it.org.uk/index.asp .

  Details of funding allocated to each local authority from the Strategic Waste Fund is provided in the following table:

  

Local Authority
2000-01(£ Million)
2001-02(£ Million)
2002-03(£ Million)
2003-04(£ Million)
2004-05(£ Million)
2005-06(£ Million)
2006-07(£ Million)
2007-08(£ Million)
Total(£ Million)


Aberdeen City
0.106
 
0.212
1.896
1.691
2.736
1.844
1.555
10.041


Aberdeenshire
0.188
 
0.926
1.979
2.242
4.742
6.367
4.203
20.647


Angus
0.075
 
0.150
0.359
1.706
2.753
1.284
1.262
7.589


Argyll and Bute
0.080
1.102
1.814
1.654
2.881
3.537
3.150
3.151
17.367


City of Edinburgh
0.223
 
0.446
0.464
4.511
9.760
6.685
4.982
27.071


Clackmannanshire
0.025
 
0.155
1.149
0.235
0.310
0.284
0.284
2.442


Dumfries and Galloway
0.123
 
0.000
0.130
3.613
4.342
4.326
4.420
16.954


Dundee City
0.072
 
0.144
0.000
0.932
1.552
1.420
3.134
7.255


East Ayrshire
0.066
 
0.132
0.324
2.310
1.994
0.694
0.848
6.368


East Dunbartonshire
0.053
 
0.106
0.212
2.148
1.769
1.302
1.413
7.003


East Lothian
0.053
 
0.106
0.193
0.720
1.395
1.643
1.490
5.601


East Renfrewshire
0.042
 
0.504
0.665
0.633
1.207
1.032
1.158
5.241


Eilean Siar
0.029
 
0.023
0.125
1.943
6.118
2.536
1.240
12.014


Falkirk
0.073
 
0.251
2.601
2.844
0.423
0.432
1.237
7.861


Fife
0.187
 
0.244
2.275
4.398
5.784
6.819
4.506
24.212


Glasgow
0.302
 
0.604
0.596
3.663
5.313
3.140
5.693
19.310


Highland
0.190
 
0.311
0.069
3.122
5.845
4.481
4.393
18.411


Inverclyde
0.041
 
0.015
0.067
1.221
1.623
0.376
0.576
3.919


Midlothian
0.043
 
0.067
0.000
1.257
1.847
2.271
3.828
9.313


Moray
0.058
 
0.108
0.082
1.979
1.742
1.233
1.062
6.265


North Ayrshire
0.076
 
0.152
0.314
2.031
1.117
1.682
1.404
6.776


North Lanarkshire
0.158
 
0.672
0.618
4.749
5.345
3.832
3.192
18.566


Orkney Islands
0.021
 
0.017
0.024
0.391
0.505
0.347
0.478
1.782


Perth and Kinross
0.101
 
0.202
0.585
2.177
1.821
3.359
1.636
9.881


Renfrewshire
0.087
 
0.174
0.000
2.425
3.003
1.381
1.343
8.413


Scottish Borders
0.083
 
0.166
0.000
1.516
2.925
4.217
2.456
11.364


Shetland Islands
0.025
 
0.050
0.000
0.588
0.529
0.417
0.306
1.916


South Ayrshire
0.069
 
0.105
0.534
2.375
1.403
1.740
1.272
7.498


South Lanarkshire
0.165
 
0.330
2.747
3.927
3.468
3.795
3.392
17.824


Stirling
0.059
 
0.285
2.917
1.560
1.680
2.354
1.696
10.551


West Dunbartonshire
0.046
 
0.023
0.062
1.751
2.638
1.152
1.370
7.042


West Lothian
0.081
 
1.460
0.775
2.602
1.800
2.583
2.882
12.183


Total
3.000
1.102
9.954
23.415
70.141
91.025
78.178
71.864
348.678



  Minor discrepancy in the total figure is due to rounding.

Waste Management

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what schemes are being developed by local authorities for funding through the Strategic Waste Fund; what technology those schemes will utilise, and what contribution they will make to meeting the Scottish Government’s targets on diversion of waste from landfill and promotion of recycling.

Richard Lochhead: As outlined in the budget announcement on 14 November 2007, the current ring-fenced Strategic Waste Fund will cease to operate from 1 April 2008. Allocations are being absorbed into the local government settlement. The government is still considering the way ahead on Outline Business Cases prepared by authorities in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Scottish Borders and North and South Lanarkshire on diverting waste from landfill.